


I'm Still Here

by Gaillen



Series: Status Ailments [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: BAMF Prompto later on, Chronic Pain, Daurell Caverns, Don't mess with his boy, Gen, Have Fun!, He's the victim this time, I tackle Vanish, It decided it didn't want to be humour!, Kind of gross how he gets it too, Kind of starts a little slow but it gets there!, Noctis-whump...maybe?, Now there's a unfair fight and some panic and then an attempted kidnapping!, Prompto is in a bad mood for the first chapter, Prompto-whump...?, Sort Of, Status Ailments, This story was suppose to be funny!, This story went a direction I had not intended, Which is an interesting status ailment, mentioned - Freeform, yes - Freeform, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-12-25 11:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaillen/pseuds/Gaillen
Summary: In which Prompto has an unfortunate run in with a mean-tempered Gigantoad and is placed in  an unusual situation.He does not like it at all and would like a refund Mr. Toad, thank you very much.Oh, okay...maybe it's not so bad after all. He'd still rather to...well, justnot...but he could see the benefit. Sort of.Status Ailment Series: A series of unrelated or only vaguely related stories featuring various Status Ailments and their effects.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first multi-chaptered Status Ailment work and it's all because I was trying to write something funny and ended up writing something that turned serious. Why!?
> 
> Well here it is anyway. The next chapter will probably be a little while. It's written but I have two twelve hour shifts over the next two days and probably won't be functioning on a cognitive scale until Saturday. I may have it up then. I have, like, one or two scenes left to write to finish this story up so you'll get two more chapters at least. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Okay. Let’s _not_ do that again,” Prompto said, his voice balancing somewhere between fervency and exhaustion. 

Noctis silently agreed. 

If it wasn’t for the fact that they were right at the mouth of the Daurell Caverns, he would lie down on the ground now and fall into an exhausted sleep. 

Well, Ignis might balk at that no matter where they were.

By the clock on his mobile it was late morning. They had spent much of yesterday and all of the night sloshing through shin-deep septic water and choking on noxious fumes that left them all ill. Not to mention the sheer number of daemons in the caverns – Hecteyes were horrible to look at and to fight – and it had all been for nothing.

They had only entered the caverns in the first place because the woman at the fishing hut had told them a story about a man-made structure inside of it. It hadn’t been a Royal Tomb unfortunately, just one of those strange cryptic doors that no one seemed to know anything about. 

Noctis glanced at the others. They were all exhausted looking, covered in reddish mud, wet up to their knees, and just utterly filthy. 

Prompto still looked sickly pale from his complete drenching when a Ronin had thrown him into one of the toxic pools, even though he had taken an antidote to combat the worst of the sickness. And Gladiolus was pressing Ignis’ jacket to his thigh were the Iron Giant had gotten him and they had already used the last of their potions. 

“Think we can make it back to the car?” he asked, tiredly. 

“Think I can just lay here and twitch for a while instead?” Prompto countered, already flat out on the ground. 

“Perhaps taking a moment to breathe would be beneficial,” Ignis said, taking his glasses off to clean the smudge on one lens. Unfortunately, he was as filthy as the rest and didn’t have anything clean enough to wipe the offending dirt away. He breathed a long, weary sigh and replaced his glasses. “How is your leg, Gladio?” 

“Not bleeding so much,” Gladiolus grunted, leaning hard against the rock so he could take weight off the limb. “Still hurts like a bitch.” 

Ignis hummed, eyeing the jacket tied around Gladiolus’ leg with worry. It had been the only thing he had had to bind the wound once he discovered they had already burned through all their potions. It wasn’t very clean and with all the nasty, septic water they had had to wade through, Ignis was afraid the Shield was speeding his way to infection. It needed to be cleaned and rebound with proper bandages. 

After a few moments of rest, Noctis pushed himself up to stand and lightly kicked Prompto in the hip. “Come on. Faster we get to car, the faster we can get to a place with a shower and beds.” 

Which he really wanted. His back and leg was starting to twinge but he couldn’t tell if that was the effect of creeping through a cave all night or if it was something else.

Prompto whimpered but climbed to his feet slowly, groaning in the process. “And food?” he asked. “Please tell me there will be food. I’m starved.” 

“The Taelpar Rest Area is the closest,” Ignis said, looping Gladiolus’ arm over his shoulders and gripping his belt tightly as they moved down the path slowly. Gladiolus made small noises of discomfort with each step but he kept going gamely, leaning heavily against Ignis. 

“Awesome,” Prompto sighed, dreamily. “Motel and a Crow’s Nest.” 

Ignis sighed. It was the best option for their current state but he was inwardly cringing at the damage to their funds a stopover in the Taelpar motel and meals from the Crow’s Nest would cause. Not to mention the fact that they had used all of their potions and antidotes while inside the caverns. 

Luckily, they still had the two precious remedies and one of the Ronins had had an Ether, which had replaced the one that Noctis had been forced to use while fighting the Necromancers. They also had managed to pick up a few things that they could potentially sell while inside the caverns and that would hopefully soften the blow a little. 

None of them – not even Prompto – had the energy to spare for conversation so they trudged down the path in relative silence. They had made it about a fourth of the way down the path when they all heard the low rumbling of thunder and felt the first few drops of rain. 

Gladiolus chuckled grimly. “Just doesn’t seem to be our day, does it?” 

“Think it’ll hold off on being really heavy ‘til we get to the car?” Prompto asked. In answer, the sky opened up and whatever part of them that had remained dry to this point was now drenched. The blond sighed heavily. “Guess not.” 

“At least rainwater is clean,” Noctis murmured just loud enough for them to hear over the rain around them. Well that explained the ache in his back that caused the prickling, pins and needles sensation in his hip and leg.

“Clean is a relative term,” Ignis replied automatically. Noctis responded by blowing rain water from the ends of his bangs as they hung in front of his face. There was a collective sigh of relief from all of them when the road and, more importantly, the Regalia came into view, still parked on the shoulder. 

It took some manoeuvring to get Gladiolus settled in the back seat, his injured leg propped up awkwardly across Noctis’ lap. None of them missed the way he seemed to sink into the leather with relief or the fact that the grimace he’d been wearing on his face since the injury slowly smoothed over. 

Ignis opened the tab on a can of Ebony after sliding into the driver’s seat. “We’ll get you a potion, Gladio, as soon as we reach the Rest Area.”

“I call dibs on the first shower,” he said, throwing his arm over his face and leaning his head back against the glass of the window. 

“It would be best if you did. I’ll get your leg cleaned up while Noct and Prompto take their showers.” Ignis cranked the heat up before hitting the turn indicator and pulling off the shoulder onto the road. A quick U-turn and they were headed in the right direction to Taelpar. 

The drive to the Rest Area took perhaps twenty minutes which was not enough time for Noctis to do more than doze. His irritation at that fact was stymied by the sight of the glowing lights of the motel as Ignis pulled into the first parking spot he found.

“Prompto, Noct. If you two would be so kind as to procure us a room and get Gladio inside of it, I will see about a potion or two and something to eat.” 

Noctis looked out at the torrential downpour and then back at Ignis, leaning his head between the front seats and ignoring Gladiolus’ grunt at the movement. 

Lightning lit up the sky briefly and the rumble of thunder came almost instantly afterwards

“You going to be okay, Specs?” he asked. Ignis looked out at the rain, one hand already on the door handle, as if he wasn’t so sure for a moment before nodding firmly. 

“Of course. A little rain never hurt anyone. Gladiolus,” and he fixed the Shield a stern look through the rear-view mirror, “you’ll be finished with your shower or in it by the time I return. I will not risk you getting septicaemia or something equally debilitating from that wound.” 

The older man gave him a half-hearted salute without even opening his eyes or removing the arm sprawled across his face. 

“And now, gentlemen, it is time to get soaked…again.” 

0-o-0-o-0

It was still raining when Prompto woke. The curtains across the window of the motel room were closed but he could see the dim, greyness of the day from around the edges. 

Blearily, he set up and ruffled his messy hair with his hand before looking around the room. The growing red numbers on the digital clock told him that it was a little after six in the morning and that he had successfully slept for nearly twelve, maybe thirteen hours. 

Sleeping so much just left him feeling drained and with a headache prickling behind his eyes. 

He glanced over at the other bed. 

Gladiolus was lying flat out on his back, one arm draped over his stomach, clad only in his black boxer shorts and breathing softly. The thick white bandages wound around his leg stood out against his dark skin and the leg had been propped up on several pillows. 

There was a tight cocoon of all the bed clothes on the other side of him that had to be Noctis, blanket hog that he was.

Noctis’ propensity for stealing blankets was the reason he usually shared a bed with Gladiolus whenever they stayed at a motel as the older man was generally unbothered by the loss of them and if he was, he had the strength to manhandle Noctis into surrendering a few blankets.

The bed beside Prompto was empty and their clothes were sitting cleaned and neatly folded on the table between the beds and the kitchenette. Ignis had no doubt been awake for the last hour or so. 

There was a golden glow from the tiny kitchenette and the sound of someone moving around, the gentle clinking of dishes. 

Prompto scrubbed at his face with his hands, grunting softy, before throwing back the duvet and sliding from the bed. He padded over on bare feet and leaned against the door frame into the kitchenette, not at all surprised to see Ignis – looking unfairly put together for so early – frying a mix of onions, potatoes, and bacon on the tiny two-burner cooker. 

“Good morning, Prompto. Did you sleep well?” Ignis said, cracking several eggs into a chipped bowl. 

“Slept too much,” Prompto yawned, reaching up to rub his temple with two fingers. “What are you making?” 

Ignis tapped the fork against the side of the bowl and poured the contents onto the potatoes sizzling in the pan. “I’m making a frit—”

“That smells good.” 

Prompto squealed, leaping nearly a foot in the air as Gladiolus’ deep voice sounded in his ear. He clutched at the door frame and looked around at the Shield with wide eyes. The older man didn’t seem to notice, yawning as he rubbed at his own eyes. 

“Shit! Don’t fucking do that, big guy!” 

“Good morning, Gladio,” Ignis said, not even flicking an eye at the older man’s sudden and silent appearance as he toasted a few slices of bread. “Breakfast will be ready shortly. Will you please get His Highness out of bed?” 

Gladiolus nodded blearily, yawned again, and limped over to the bed. 

Noctis woke rather easily. Apparently, even the Prince of Sleep could only sleep so long before his body began to protest it. He set on the edge of the bed, hunched over with his face in one hand and the other hand twisted around to lie flat against the small of his back.

Ignis – who apparently was highly tuned towards the slightest discomfort in his ward – was at his side instantly and coaxing him onto his stomach before removing a jar of ointment from his pack.

“So, what is our next move?” Gladiolus asked, spreading jam onto his toast and ignoring the medicine smell that began to fill the room. Prompto also busied himself with cutting into the frittata.

“Unfortunately,” Ignis began, taking a swipe of the ointment in its jar and massaging it into the Prince’s back with Noctis’ accompanying grunt, “the journey into the Daurell Caverns has severely depleted our curatives. To replace all of them, in addition to our staying here, will use almost all of our available funds. Does that feel better, Noct?” 

“Much better,” Noctis said and slowly sat up. “Thanks, Specs.” 

Noctis was still moving a little stiffly, bracing himself against the bed as he moved to Prompto’s side, but the pained lines on his face were gone. 

Prompto crinkled his nose. 

He also smelled strongly of camphor and the smell made Prompto dizzy and his head throb with a threatening headache.

“You’re welcome.” Ignis removed the gloves he’d been using, tossing them in the rubbish bin. “In answer to your question, Gladio, I would suggest taking on a hunt or two before we head back to the Chocobo Post. We do need to inform Wiz about that injured Chocobo we helped.”

“Alright,” Gladiolus shrugged. “Did you already have some in mind?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. While I was getting our supper last night, I took the liberty of checking the current bounty hunts.” Ignis placed his mug of coffee back onto the table and pulled two handbills from his jacket’s pocket. He unfolded them and laid them out on the table between the jam and the remains of the frittata. 

“There is a pack of Coeurl that have been terrorising Secullam Pass but quite frankly that may be something a little above our skill without curatives. Besides that, Coeurl will not come out while it is raining. So, there is this hunt for three Dualhorns just outside the Rest Area and then this hunt for Redlegs and Hundlegs in the Schier Heights. Not as profitable but much safer given our current state.”

“Those sound good to me,” Noctis said when Ignis glanced over at him for his opinion on the matter. 

He nodded. 

“According to the weather predictions, however, it will all have to be done in the rain. This storm won’t be letting up until tomorrow at the earliest. And we’ll need to stay on our guard. Apparently, there is a Gigantoad – or the relative of one – in the area and we should do our best to avoid it.”

“Yay,” Prompto breathed unenthusiastically, his face twisting. 

“There not a hunt for it?” Gladiolus asked around a mouthful of toast. Ignis winced and Gladiolus gave him a sheepish look.

“Yes, but I suggest avoiding it anyway. We have very few curatives after all and Gigantoads are dangerous even with a full stock of potions. These two hunts will be sufficient until we return to the Chocobo post. We’ll leave once everyone is fed and ready.”

0-o-0-o-0

It took over an hour to find the Dualhorns. 

They hadn’t been on the ridge just behind the Rest Area where they were supposed to have been. All that had greeted them was a muddy, patchy field where the grass had been mostly stripped away. 

This had left the four of them with the task of searching for their quarry. They were lucky that Gladiolus was such an effective tracker and had found the partially obliterated tracks leading to the south.

And it was still raining. Almost the instant they had stepped away from the shelter of the motel, they’d gotten completely soaked. And visibility was poor on the account of the heavy mist that covered everything.

Prompto grumbled, a little irritably, as he slammed his fist against the side of his auto-crossbow. There was water in his boots that squelched around his toes whenever he took a step and his underwear was chafing uncomfortably with every movement.

He watched with some satisfaction as the Dualhorn cow that had been limping away from the battle cried out and fell dead from the bolt he’d sent into its hide. Normally he’d feel bad about killing the creatures but he was wet and uncomfortable and irritable, his headache from earlier having only gotten worse since they’d been out here.

He responded to Noctis’ tired wave with one of his own before the Prince went to help Ignis and Gladiolus with the last of the Dualhorns, the big bull. The two older men were alternating their attacks so the beast never quite had the time to retaliate to one’s attack before the other had done something to throw it off balance. 

Noctis wasn’t moving too well, still stiff and limping from the combination of weather and the stress on his body from the caverns yesterday. He hovered on the outside edges of the fight, keeping back as Ignis had ordered, and watching for any chance to unleash a devastating hit with Prompto’s Bioblaster. 

Prompto made a mental note to take apart and clean the machines when they stopped at a dry location for the night so that it didn’t rust over and trudged down the incline to join the others as the Dualhorn bull fell. 

He didn’t get very far. 

He heard the thud of a heavy body behind him and the strange off-putting croak mere seconds before something heavy slammed into his side and sent him into a tangle of bushes to his left. He cried out as he hit the ground and scrambled over onto his back, the branches of the bushes scratching at his arms and his face. 

It was the Gigantoad that Ignis had warned them about, retracting its slimy purple tongue into its hideous mouth. The large bulbous body towered over Prompto and the beast turned its head, angling it in such a way as to look down at him through one baleful orange eye. 

Prompto’s eyes widened and he summoned his gun, firing blindly at the Gigantoad. The creature moved at the just the wrong time and the bullet deflected off the tough rubbery skin, leaving a long welt just below the Gigantoad’s eye. The grotesque amphibian croaked angrily and, as Prompto attempted to line up another shot, its throat bulged. 

Then it spat at him.

Prompto screamed as the spittle hit him, burning his eyes and his face. His gun slipped from his hands as they shot up to claw at the slime and he writhed on the ground, scratching himself on the bushes and grinding mud into the small nicks. 

“Prompto!” Noctis appeared suddenly in a flash of blue-silver light alongside the lance now growing from the Gigantoad’s shoulder joint. 

The Gigantoad reared back in pain and lashed out with its tongue, catching Noctis in the stomach and sending him down the incline with a cry. Noctis hit the ground hard on his side and rolled down the incline before Gladiolus lunged at him and stopped him from falling much further.

“I’ve got you princess!” Gladiolus braced himself in front of Noctis and brandished his shield as the Gigantoad turned to this new threat. 

“Noct!” Ignis called, dropping to the ground by Noctis and assisting him up to his knees. Noctis made a pained sound but slowly pushed himself up to his feet…well, foot - he didn’t seem very keen on putting any weight on that leg if he could manage it- and summoned a blizzara spell from the arsenal. 

“I’m fine. Go! Find Prompto,” Noctis said, hefting the flask and launching it at the Gigantoad as Gladiolus retreated at his warning cry. 

Ignis hesitated for a brief moment, reluctant to leave Gladiolus and Noctis to take on a Gigantoad by themselves but a glare from Noctis as he summoned another flask from the arsenal decided him. They’d be able to manage even if it required emptying their magic reserves to do so. 

He turned and ran off to where he had last seen Prompto. 

Prompto heard and saw none of this. He was too busy writhing on the ground in agony. 

Everywhere that the Gigantoad’s spit contacted with his skin – his face, throat and arms – burned. It wasn’t as intense as one of Noctis’ misfired fire spells but it _lingered_ and was spreading along his body, igniting his nerves with agony.

“Prompto! Where are you?” Ignis was growing desperate. He could hear Prompto’s sobs but he couldn’t see the blond anywhere in the undergrowth, the mist obscuring much of the area. The Gigantoad was croaking in pain now and Ignis heard Noctis call a warning to Gladiolus as he readied what was probably their second to last spell. 

Ignis’ foot collided against something that was much too pliable to be a rock and he went down, biting his tongue as his chin hit the ground. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, one leg across something that was moving. He ignored the mud that now dripped from him and reached for his glasses, before turning towards whatever he had tripped over. 

There was nothing there.

Or at least nothing that he could see.

There was mud and wet leaf loam appearing to float in the air and the bushes and grasses were bent as if something was rolling around on it. 

Ignis shook off his surprise as a choking sob reminded him of his need to find Prompto and scrambled forward, his hand encountering something that could very well be the highly customised, thick canvas vest that Prompto wore and his thin, heaving chest. 

“Prompto? Prompto! I need you to answer me!” 

Slowly, very slowly, the pain began to fade as the burning sensation turned into an uncomfortable tingling. Prompto shook as he gasped in air, realising vaguely as spots danced in his vision that he hadn’t been drawing in enough oxygen for the last few minutes, his nails digging into the soft wet soil. 

He very suddenly became aware of Ignis’ frantic voice above him and his hands on him. He tried to open his eyes but they burned with such intensity that he could only let out a cry and press his hands into them. 

“Iggy…” He wasn’t at all ashamed that the sound came out as a whine. 

“Prompto.” There was relief in Ignis’ voice. “Where are you injured? What did the Gigantoad do to you?” 

It took a few seconds for Prompto’s brain to catch up and to understand what Ignis was asking. “It b…burns all…all…over. It…it spat on…on me.” 

“Spat…?” Ignis blinked. The Gigantoad had spat on him? And apparently had made him invisible. 

He’d deal with that in a moment. Right now, Prompto’s overall physical health was what was important. 

“Are you physically hurt anywhere? Bleeding? Broken bones?” The answer to all was a quiet, muffled ‘no’ to Ignis’ relief. He dug through his pack and removed a remedy. “Prompto, I need you to drink this.”

Prompto managed to open one eye a mere crack. Everything was blurred but he saw what could only be Ignis’ form and the slightly greenish-yellow spot that had to be a potion. He reached shakily for the flask only to find that he had no idea where his hand was. 

It wasn’t there. 

His hand was gone but he could still feel it!

“Prompto. Prompto, calm down. Breathe,” Ignis said suddenly, dropping the remedy at his side to try and hold the gunner’s shoulders. Ignis wasn’t sure where his hands landed but they certainly weren’t on Prompto’s shoulders and he could feel the heaving of Prompto’s chest as the younger man panicked. “It’s okay. You’re just invisible.” 

“Invisible!” Prompto gasped, sounding almost like a cry. “I shouldn't be invisible!” 

“You need to drink a remedy,” Ignis said. His fingers slid up, contacting with something that felt like Prompto’s chin and he curled his hand against the side of Prompto’s face, cupping the younger man’s cheek. “Calm down. You need to breathe before I can give you the remedy. You’ll strangle yourself if you don’t.” 

Prompto struggled to obey but ever so slowly his breathing evened out and he began to relax under Ignis’ gentle ministrations. It was at that moment that Noctis and Gladiolus came into the clearing. 

They looked rather worst for wear. 

Gladiolus was covered in mud and pieces of foliage. He looked as if he could enter and win a swamp monster contest. 

He didn’t appear to have any injuries but the amount of filth covering him might have just been hiding them. He had an arm around Noctis, supporting him as he limped to Ignis’ side. 

Noctis was less muddy but he had a vicious bruise across his face, alongside a split lip and bleeding nose. And his face had taken on that peculiar pinched expression that told everyone he was one move away from stasis. His arm was also bleeding but not heavily enough to warrant immediate concern. 

“Where is he?” Noctis demanded of Ignis. “Where is Prompto?” 

“Calm down, Noct,” Ignis said, finding Prompto’s hair and stroking it gently to stem another panic attack. At least Ignis was sure of Prompto’s invisibility now as neither Gladiolus nor Noctis made any indication that they could see him. “Prompto is right here. He’s just invisible.” 

“The hell’d that happen?” Gladiolus asked, eyeing what appeared to be empty air cradled in the Ignis’ arms. 

Noctis reached for that very same patch of air and Gladiolus - with an expression of reluctant acceptance - assisted him onto the ground in the least painful position he could possibly manage. 

Noctis very nearly punched Prompto, having no way to judge the distance between them, and scraped his knuckles against the decorative studs on Prompto’s vest before resting his hand against what was probably his chest judging by its movement. 

“T…the Gigantoad…” Prompto gasped weakly. Gladiolus' eyebrows shot up into his hair line at hearing Prompto’s voice from what was, for all intents and purposes, thin air. 

Ignis ran his fingers through Prompto’s hair again, careful not to hurt him and lightly scratching at his scalp. “The Gigantoad spat on him and the saliva apparently has the ability to make its victim invisible.” 

Personally, Ignis felt that this entire situation was slightly absurd but it seemed that he was the only one that saw any humour in it, judging by the concerned expressions of the other two and the tension he could feel in Prompto’s body. 

Might as well take care of it now that Prompto was no longer hyperventilating and at risk of choking on the potion.

“Drink the remedy, Prompto,” he ordered, scooping the flask up from the undergrowth and holding it up over Prompto’s body for him to take. Something collided with the side of the flask and Prompto let out a faint curse but Ignis kept a firm hold until he was sure of Prompto’s grip. “Take your time.” 

Eventually the gunner managed to get a hold of the potion and Ignis let go, returning to running his hand through the invisible blond hair he could feel but not see. 

It was interesting to watch the potion floating in the air as Prompto removed the cap and, ostensibly, lifted it to his mouth. 

They waited as the flask emptied and then waited some more for the remedy to take effect but nothing happened and Prompto remained stubbornly invisible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter two.
> 
> Wait.
> 
> What's this? *rubs eyes and squints into the distance*
> 
> Is that...?
> 
> It is!
> 
> The actual plot appears!
> 
> Enjoy this chapter everyone.
> 
> *Note: A slight change was made due to my confusing travel times in game. It shouldn't effect the story at all but I wanted to note the change any way just in case.

Prompto was having a very bad day. 

And it was only noon. 

He was curled dejectedly on one of the beds in the motel room and bundled so thoroughly in a duvet that only his face wasn’t covered, not that anyone could see it. He was also naked under the blanket, as Ignis had ordered him out of his slopping wet and invisible clothes upon reaching the motel room, not that anyone could see _that_ either. 

_He_ couldn’t even see _himself_.

He was exhausted, his head throbbed despite the painkillers that Ignis had given him when he’d admitted a headache, and there was a pressure behind his eyes that threatened tears at the slightest provocation. 

Why hadn't the remedy worked? 

The fact that it hadn't had sent him spiralling into another panic attack after the time of effect had passed. He didn’t know how long it took for his friends to calm him but he was boneless with exhaustion afterwards and Ignis had suggested quietly that they all return to the motel.

At least one good thing had come from the encounter with the Gigantoad: they wouldn’t need to hunt the Redlegs now.

There was a soft click as the room door was opened behind him but Prompto didn’t turn, continuing to count the slats of the shutter-like doors that separated the room from the world behind the motel. (Forty-six. No matter how many times he counted there was always forty-six.)

“We’re about to get hit with a massive storm.” Gladiolus’ low voice broke his concentration and he lost his count, focusing instead on the older man’s voice. “Heard the thunder and the wind’s really picking up. And John – the hunter that runs the weapon’s truck – says that the latest news from Meldacio is that we’re in for a bad one.” 

“Lovely,” Ignis sighed. “We still need supplies and I was hoping to ask about Prompto’s condition.”

“Well,” Gladiolus heaved his own gusty sigh, “come on then. We’ve got about an hour before the storm really hits and since I’m still wet, I’ll help you out.”

Ignis didn’t verbally respond, if he did at all, but a few seconds later there was the sound of knocking followed by the click of a door opening. 

The heady, heavy scent of rosemary filled the room and aggravated Prompto’s headache. 

He grunted and pulled the duvet tighter about him, burying his nose into the fabric and breathing in the clean, washed scent that clung to it. 

“Don’t fall asleep in there, Noct. I’d rather not return to find you drowned. I’ll leave your clothes on the counter for when you’re ready to get out,” Ignis said. “You’ll be alright if Gladio and I leave for a little while to get supplies?” 

Prompto didn’t hear Noctis’ reply but he must have made some sign of acknowledgement because Ignis continued a moment later. “Very well. I’ll make some ginger tea when I return and you _will_ drink a potion.” 

Prompto was nearly betrayed into something very like a snort.

Noctis wasn’t that badly hurt. 

His nose had stopped bleeding before they had even arrived at the motel and the wound on the underside of his arm had been small when compared to the blood that came from it. 

He was, though, still practically immobile. 

Gladiolus had to all but carry him back to the motel when the decision to return was made and the action had only aggravated his pain. 

Prompto wasn’t so far gone into his own panic that he hadn’t noticed that. 

Potions wouldn’t do anything to help but it would probably make Ignis feel better for him to use one and so Prompto tried not to laugh at him for his overcautious tendencies. 

Gladiolus had little more than a bruise and a scrape down his side. He’d also lost a chunk of hair to a branch in the fight, but that was more hilarious than a cause for concern. Even if the Shield had seethed over it. 

They’d been lucky and, honestly, it was impressive. It was a testament as to how much stronger they had become in the last few weeks. 

“Doing okay there, Prom?” Prompto jumped as Gladiolus’ hand came down onto his shoulder. It was much easier to see where he was now that the duvet outlined the contours of his body. 

“Yeah sure. Just being invisible. You know how it is.” Prompto’s voice, despite the attempt at sarcasm, was subdued and lacking in his normal energy.

“We’ll do what we can to find a cure, Prompto,” Ignis reassured. “Perhaps it’ll wear off. Most status ailments do.” 

“Yeah,” Prompto said pulling the duvet around him tighter, “most.” 

Neither of the older men had a response to that so with another pat to Prompto’s shoulder from Gladiolus, they left the motel room in search of supplies. 

The room was plunged into near silence following the click of the door. 

Prompto could hear the rain pinging against the roof and the sound of the wind howling through the trees only a little distance from the back of the motel. If he listened hard enough he could just make out the faint rolling boom of thunder. 

Prompto closed his eyes, allowing himself to bask in the quiet. As much as he loved the other three, sometimes he just needed to have a little time to himself. But that was difficult now that they were on the run from the Imperial Army. 

It was funny how he still sometimes craved solitude when he had so loathed being alone as a child. 

He was dozing when the door clicked behind him and the scent of rosemary – not nearly as strong as before – re-entered the room. He could hear Noctis limping around slowly, the slight creak of metal from the heavy leg brace and the occasional creak of wood as he leaned against something for support. 

Prompto checked his urge to leap up and help him. Noctis' pride had already taken a beating and Prompto was not about to make it worst. He also didn't like the sickly smile of thanks that Noctis always tried to give when someone helped him when he was like this and was too polite to wave them away.

Prompto shifted slightly and settled again when the sound of Noctis’ movements died, intending this time to actually fall asleep when a hand rested gently against his shoulder.

“Prom?” He could feel the heat from Noctis’ hand through the duvet and when he turned to look at him from the corner of his eye, he could see the heated flush on his skin. A result of the hot bath water that Ignis had drawn for him when they had arrived at the motel room. “You okay?” 

Prompto sighed, he had heard that question or variations of it several times over the last hour and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He knew that they were just concerned and he was happy that they cared so much, but he was tired and, so long as he remained invisible, he was definitely not alright.

“Not really,” he admitted. “I’ll be better as soon as I’m visible again.” 

Noctis didn’t say anything for a few moments but he slowly settled onto the bed behind Prompto, lying flat so as not to aggravate his back, a pillow under his knees, and stared at the ceiling. Noctis let the back of his arm rest against Prompto’s side, the hand curled limply in the air, and Prompto silently appreciated the small comforting contact. 

“You know,” Noctis said, “I think you might be missing an opportunity here.” 

Prompto came out of his doze at this curious statement and he furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? What opportunity could being invisible give me?” 

He could hear the grin in Noctis’ voice when he answered. “Imagine the pranks you could pull being invisible. You could totally sneak up on Gladio and yank his trousers down and he’d never be able to catch you.” 

Prompto snorted and then, the mental image proving to be too hilarious to resist, he began laughing. 

Noctis’ laughter joined his and for several minutes he forgot that he was currently invisible. They tried to contain their laughter a few times but each time they began to calm down, one of the two of them would either snort or chuckle and send them both back into a fit of giggles. 

“Thanks, dude. For making me feel better,” Prompto said as he finally managed to reign in his giggles and turned to look at Noctis. 

Noctis smiled softly. It was strange to look at Prompto and to see nothing but empty air in a cavity in the blankets. “Anytime.” 

Prompto grinned, flushing happily as he pressed his forehead against Noctis’ shoulder. They laid there in companionable silence for a few minutes before Prompto finally stirred. Judging by his stillness, he was fairly sure that Noctis was either asleep or very quickly on the path to sleep. 

He lifted his head and, sure enough, Noctis’ eyes were closed but his breathing suggested that he wasn’t asleep quite yet.

Prompto wiggled a hand free of his blanket prison and stuck out a finger, letting it hover by Noctis’ face. “Hey Noct?”

Noctis’ eyes fluttered and he made a questioning noise as he turned his head. An indent appeared in his cheek were Prompto’s finger stabbed him and Prompto snickered. The prince snorted and slapped Prompto’s invisible hand away but his voice was fond when he spoke.

“You should go and take a shower, weirdo, before Iggy and Gladio get back. Otherwise you’ll have to wait ‘til they’re done and you know Gladio takes forever.” 

“He does take very long showers,” Prompto agreed.

“I’d make a masturbating joke,” Noctis laughed, “but we’ve already made them all!”

Prompto laughed, too, as he stood, tossing the duvet across the end of the bed as he went towards the bathroom. A hot shower made him feel even better and the tension in his shoulders slowly loosened. He hesitated after drying, staring into the empty fogged mirror – his reflection nowhere to be seen – before deciding to pull out his spare clothes and dress. 

It would look strange, he knew, to walk around in visible clothes when he himself was invisible. But he wasn’t comfortable with walking around without clothes. Even if no one could see him.

He wasn’t surprised to find that Ignis and Gladiolus had not yet returned, nor was he particularly surprised to find Noctis still sprawled across the bed where he had left the prince. 

He was drowsing but still shifted minutely in discomfort, the ache in his leg and back apparently keeping him from falling completely asleep. 

But he had moved at some point as the shutter doors leading onto the back veranda (though it was less of a veranda and more of a slab of covered concrete with upturned chairs for the guests to sit out on, on nicer days) were opened, letting in the sound of rain and thunder and the scent of wet earth. 

It was… comforting and Prompto felt just that much more tension leave his shoulders. He was coming to terms with his situation and he felt that he could manage. 

Well, he could manage so long as the condition didn’t prove to be permanent.

A voice in the back of his head was telling him that if Gigantoads went around making people permanently invisible then they would have, at the very _least_ , heard _mention_ of it. It sounded oddly like Ignis in his most dead-pan tone. 

Prompto flushed in embarrassment and glanced around as if expecting Ignis to have materialised from the ether to read his thoughts and admonish him. Noctis shifted on the bed, turning his face away from Prompto before settling again with a quiet, unintelligible murmur.

Finding himself with nothing better to do, Prompto moved over to the little round table and summoned his Auto-Crossbow. He set it gingerly on the table top and removed the firing pin before summoning the tools that Cid had given them when the old mechanic had found Prompto and Noctis trying to figure out how to work the machinery behind the shop at Hammerhead.

He had finished the meticulous task of dismantling and cleaning the Auto-Crossbow and was halfway through the process for the Bioblaster when Ignis and Gladiolus returned. 

They were both drenched and they both looked exhausted. 

Gladiolus set the damp box of various curatives on the small chest of drawers between the beds, waking Noctis by flicking cold rainwater at him and drawing an annoyed complaint, as Prompto stood the take one of the brown bags from Ignis’ arms. 

Ignis blinked at him for a moment, slightly bemused as he took in the visible clothing over his invisible body.

“Feeling better, Prompto?” he asked, shaking his puzzlement away and leading the way into the kitchenette. 

Prompto nodded before he remembered that he was currently invisible and they wouldn’t be able to see it. “Yeah, a little bit,” he paused before adding: “The shower helped.”

“Good,” Ignis said, settling the two bags in his arms onto the kitchenette's tiny counter. “I asked about your condition but no one seemed to know anything.”

“So, I’m stuck like this?” Prompto asked, the tension that had slowly dissipated starting to creep back into his shoulders. 

Ignis shook his head, taking his glasses off so he could clean the rainwater from them. “I don’t believe so. Because no one knew _anything_ I highly doubt that this is a permanent condition. It is unlikely that people outside Insomnia have existed around Gigantoads for this long without this situation occurring before and it is unlikely that it would have remained quiet if it was permanent.” 

Prompto was reminded of his earlier thought and he smiled slightly, the tension fading a little. 

“However,” Ignis continued, “we don’t know if it will wear off on its own or if there is a specific cure for it. I intend to research it but it will have to wait until after lunch. I’m taking the shower first, Gladio, and then I’ll start making lunch.”

“Fine.” Gladiolus waved him away, scrubbing at his hair with a towel and already down to naught but his boxers. Noctis slowly levered himself up into a sitting position against the bed’s headboard and wiggled his phone at Prompto. 

“Want to join me on a raid of those Dark Forest Ruins in King’s Knight?” Prompto agreed readily. 

Hopefully, in less than twenty-four hours, he would be back to normal and they could go back to the Chocobo Post. And if he begged fervently enough, Ignis might even let them spend a day or two there. 

0-o-0-o-0

“He called it _Vanish_ ,” Ignis said the next morning. 

Prompto turned to look at him, raising one hand to hold back his invisible hair. He didn't like the way it pricked his face as the wind passing by the Regalia caused it to flop around. Being invisible left him unable to style it, though he did try and he wondered what a mess it looked. 

“ _Vanish_?” 

“Cor said that as far as status ailments go it is probably the most benign as it effects nothing but other people's ability to see you. Helpful in the middle of a battle actually. You can hit them but they can't hit you.” 

“Did he say how to reverse it?” Gladiolus asked from the back seat. Prompto glanced back at him. 

Noctis was out, braced as comfortably as he could be in the back of the Regalia and lying half across Gladiolus' lap. His pain and stiffness had grown worst even though the storm had died out sometime early this morning but there was apparently more rain in the forecast across lower Duscae. 

If they had been back in the city, then this would have been a wheelchair day for Noctis. It wasn't often that Noctis' pain became so bad that he was forced to resort to the hated wheelchair that lived in the corner of his room – Prompto could only remember it happening three times since he had become friends with him – but when it happened, poor Noctis was gone and it would take a few days before he could move like usual. 

But they weren't in the city and there was no wheelchair out here for Noctis and no powerful pain-killers to take away the pain. They would have to make do with what they had and Ignis had already made plans to return to Caem once Prompto's situation was dealt with. Wiz would just have to wait.

“Well, the problem is that Gigantoad saliva doesn't come out with a simple wash in the bath and that is what keeps its target invisible. There is a hot spring in Ravatogh, however, that's mineral properties break down the saliva's components. You just have to bathe in the waters, Prompto, and it will wash away,” Ignis explained.

Prompto grinned, even though they couldn't see it. “My clothes too?” 

Ignis laughed. “Even your clothes.” 

“Good thing Cor knew what it was. I'm surprised we hadn't run into it before,” Gladiolus said.

“Hmm,” Ignis said, slowing the Regalia as they came up behind an old green car. “Cor did tell me that it wasn't an unusual ailment but it is an uncommon one. Not many people anger a Gigantoad enough to make it spit on them, they apparently don't like doing it.”

“Makes sense,” Gladiolus murmured mostly to himself. “Why make your enemy invisible and give them an advantage like that?”

“Prompto won a strange game with the Gigantoad yesterday,” Ignis agreed.

“Lucky me.” Prompto perked up when Ignis slowed to take a turn, the green car continuing straight. “We're not going by the coastal road?”

“I'm fairly certain we could make it to Ravatogh with what fuel we have if we take the coastal road but I'm not chancing it. With Noctis mostly out of commission, it's better if we take the interior roads that has a fuel stop along the way.” 

There was no arguing with that point so they fell silent and settled in for the long ride to Ravatogh. 

Gladiolus pulled out his novel and was soon lost in the words on the page, one hand idly playing with Noctis' hair. Noctis slept for most of the ride or tried too. The pain in his muscles and bones not exactly allowing him a restful slumber. Ignis seemed content to sip at his Ebony and glance back between the others and the road. 

Prompto could understand the need to stop to fill up on petrol but he was a little disappointed. The coastal road was much more interesting than the interior roads, not that the interior roads weren't pretty in their own right, but they had only once taken the coastal road when they had taken Iris to Caem and there were still things to see that they hadn't yet seen. 

He crossed his arms on the Regalia's door and leaned his chin there. Well, he probably wouldn't be able to see much from this side of the vehicle anyway and they would be taking the coastal road on their way to Caem from Ravatogh. He could wait until then and console himself with the fact that he would soon be visible again.

At some point he must have dozed off because the next thing he knew was being startled awake by the Regalia's doors shutting. He looked around, rubbing at his eyes, to find that they were parked by the petrol pumps near Old Lestallum's motel and that Ignis was moving around to the pumps to refill the car. Gladiolus was already crossing the street to the Crow's Nest – which looked busy by the amount of people through the windows – and Noctis was just waking up himself but evidently not inclined to move from his position on the back seat.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“A little before noon,” Ignis smiled. “You've been asleep for a while. Prompto, are you awake now?”

“Yes,” Prompto said, rubbing his face with both hands.

“Good.” Ignis hung the nozzle back up and recapped the gas tank. “Gladio's gone to get us some lunch. We've still got about two hours before we reach Ravatogh and I thought it would be better to get us some lunch now. I hope hot sandwiches and chips will be okay?” 

“Sounds good,” Noctis said. “I'm going to just lay here and hurt.” 

Ignis reached down to gently squeeze Noctis' shoulder. “I'm going to stop by the pharmacy and see if I can get some pain medication for you. Will the two of you be alright on your own while we're gone?” 

“I'm not leaving the car,” Noctis groaned, shifting to try and relieve the ache that started up again. “Might want to put the top up. I think it's going to rain again.” 

Ignis and Prompto both looked up at the grey overcast sky just noticing that the wind was beginning to pick up again. Even the lady manning the J&M Market lorry across the street was setting up a canopy over her shop and herself. Ignis agreed and walked back around to hit the button on the dashboard and the top began to rise. 

“Prompto, text me if you two need anything.” 

“Sure thing!” Prompto said, adding a thumbs up even if he couldn't see it, and Ignis closed the door and walked away. 

It was quiet in the car. 

Prompto wasn't sure if Noctis had gone back to sleep but he wasn't willing to disturb him to find out. He pulled out his phone and browsed through social media for a little while before he grew bored and took to people watching. 

The rain had chosen that moment to start falling and he watched a few people run into the Crow's Nest to escape the down pour. He could just see Gladiolus through the windows, chatting up the proprietor as he waited for their order.

A group of three men ran past the car behind him and Prompto tilted his head to watch them, amused by their double take as they looked at the fancy car parked by the pumps before they disappeared into one of the motel rooms. A couple and their small child found refuge under the J&M Market lady's canopy and it looked like she was taking advantage of her trapped audience to sell some of her wares. 

Prompto leaned his head back against the glass of the window and sighed, his mind quiet as he listened to the rain hitting the roof of the Regalia and to Noctis' steady breathing. He wondered if he could convince Noctis to take a bath in the hot spring too. It would certainly help with his back and hip.

The back seat door by Noctis' head suddenly jerked opened and before Prompto could comprehend what was happening, hands had reached in and grabbed Noctis dragging him out of the Regalia with a pained, surprised shout.

It was the three men that had passed by the car when the rain started. 

Two of them – one with a pony tail and the other in a green shirt – had Noctis and the third – his hair a darker blond than the other two – had pierced a stunned Noctis' arm with a needle before he had time to react to his circumstances. Noctis struggled for a second or two and it looked like he was trying to call for maybe Prompto or Ignis or Gladiolus but the drug had started to take immediate effect and no sound issued from his mouth before he slumped, unconscious between the men.

Without another glance at the car, Pony-Tail threw Noctis over his shoulder and they ran for the stairs leading down to the canal's bank beneath the bridge. 

Prompto stumbled out of the Regalia surprised and took chase, frightened beyond comprehension. No one but Prompto had seen the kidnapping. The streets were empty but for the people by the lorry and they were looking away at the lady's wares, blissfully unaware. 

Prompto was invisible. 

The men had thought Noctis was alone in the Regalia.

They would regret the assumption. 

Prompto chased them down the stairs and was surprised at the sight of a small runabout sitting in the canal at the small dock. A fourth man – his hair was practically white – was standing at the helm of the boat and waving with his hand to the others. 

“ _Hurry up!_ ” he shouted angrily to the other three and Prompto's blood ran cold. 

He had shouted in Nif.

They were Nifs. 

If they got Noctis on that boat, then they would never see him again. Something inside Prompto seemed to just click and he reacted without being fully aware of what he would do.

Prompto had one advantage: they couldn't see him.

At the top of the last flight down, Prompto stopped and dropped to a knee before summoning Cerberus. He propped the sniper rifle on the top of the landing wall and took aim and fired. While the rifle had a silencer fitted to it, it didn't mean that the sound was completely cancelled. The pop echoing slightly because of the retaining walls. 

“ _What was that!?_ ” Green-Shirt shouted. Prompto hastily hid Cerberus back behind the wall, watching. 

“ _That was a gunshot! It hit the damned motor!_ ” White-hair snarled. The outboard motor was smoking, a neat little hole in the side casing. Pony-Tail unceremoniously dropped Noctis to the ground, Green-Shirt went to help the man in the boat to try and get the motor working again and the other two separated to search the bank for Prompto.

Prompto dismissed the sniper rifle and calmly walked down the flight of stairs as Pony-Tail ran up it only to find nothing. He moved over to Noctis and pressed his fingers against his throat, relieved that the heartbeat was steady albeit slow. 

Standing, Prompto looked after Dirty-Blond that had gone right and headed for the turn in the retaining wall before looking at Pony-Tail as he came back down the stairs and headed to the left, where the rocks were scattered. 

He followed Pony-Tail towards the rocks, waiting just until the man was out of sight of the others and hidden by the bridge stanchions before he leapt at his back and put him in the choke hold that Cor had taught him back in the early days of Prompto's rushed training. 

The man had no chance against his unseen assailant and it took a mere fifteen seconds before he was out. Prompto released him immediately and summoned some of the cable ties that Ignis kept for binding leftover bags of food from the ether. 

The man was just starting to come back around as Prompto finished cable tying his hands together behind his back and Prompto quickly gagged him while he was still dazed. Prompto left him confused, light-headed and bound and went after Dirty-Blond.

The rain had started falling harder by this point. Dirty-Blond was searching some of the bushes a little back around the corner of the wall, his back to the way he'd come. He was easy. He went down even faster than Pony-Tail. 

Prompto made a mental note to tell Ignis to buy some more cable ties next time they were at Hammerhead or Lestallum and rolled the man with his foot into the very bushes he had been searching.

White-Hair and Green-Shirt were still struggling with the outboard motor on the boat. Prompto stared at them, hands akimbo, a trifle dismayed. He couldn't take either of them out without alerting the other and potentially placing Noctis in danger. 

He wasn't about to kill them. 

Either incognito soldiers or spies or simply Niflheim loyal civilians that had jumped on an opportunity to kidnap the heir to the throne of Lucis and ensure victory for the Empire, Prompto wasn't sure and it didn't matter. They were _human_ and Prompto simply couldn't kill them.

He watched a spark of electricity jump between two wires in the outboard motor, White-Hair cursing in response, and it gave him an idea. He hoped it was one that would result in nothing more than injury to the two men and wouldn't kill them but he honestly couldn't think of another way. 

There was a single low levelled thunder spell in the arsenal. One of the weakest Noctis had ever made, mainly as a test when he discovered that he could mix Cup Noodles into it and make a healing spell. They had never found a use for it.

Until now. 

Prompto summoned it and before either man could notice a strange floating orb just behind the tiny dock, he launched it into the boat. 

The effect was almost instantaneous. Both men jerked and made strange noises before they flopped to the deck of the boat, twitching like fish. Lightning flicked all along the boat and into the water, fizzing out in a few moments until all was still again.

Prompto waited a few moments more before he carefully boarded the vessel, wincing at the blackened, melted remains of the motor's wires, and knelt down to check for pulses in the men's necks. They were there. Sluggish and off rhythm but present. The healing spell in it had probably kept them from dying as the electricity coursed through the runabout. 

Threat neutralized, Prompto first released a breath of air and swept a hand through his soaked bangs.

The next thing Prompto did was call Ignis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mess with Prompto or his boys. He'll mess you up.
> 
> By the way, would anyone like a small and incredibly cruel teaser from my next story?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o! I am so sorry that it took so long to post this. I had thought it would take less time than it did but I did not count on multiple 12 hour shifts at work and depression and writer's block. But here it is. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also I messed up my travel times in the second chapter and had to go back and fix it. It's a minor thing but I thought I would point it out regardless. 
> 
> Also, I included a small teaser for my next story in the end notes. Enjoy that too and look out for the story next time.

“Okay,” Prompto said. “I promise, we won't move.”

A second later he hit the end call button on his mobile and pocketed the device before looking back at the runabout as it clicked occasionally against the tiny dock. 

He felt strangely numb, almost detached. His mind blank as if everything was a dream.

He turned to Noctis, still crumpled on the ground were the Nif had dropped him and twisted in a way that had to be uncomfortable.

He really had just dropped Noctis like a sack of potatoes, without caring at all at what damage or pain that would cause him. Though judging by the fact that Noctis hadn't so much as twitched since he had fallen there it was unlikely that he was feeling much of anything thanks to whatever drug they had given him.

He was halfway between Noctis and the runabout when his knees suddenly gave way, his legs wobbling like jelly, and he would have fallen if he hadn't caught himself, spreading both arms out for balance and stumbling forward a step. 

He was shaking by the time he reached Noctis' side, adjusting the way Noctis was laying to be more comfortable before lifting his head with trembling hands to rest on his lap. 

Prompto looked back at the runabout, dazed. From his spot on the ground, he couldn't see either of the unconscious men in the boat nor could he see either of the men he had taken down and tied up, hidden as they were, but they were there all the same.

He had just...

“Prompto! Noct!” 

Ignis and Gladiolus were both bounding down the stairs leading back up to Old Lestallum's main street and looking equal parts concerned and angry. Ignis practically flew across the stretch of bank to their sides, kneeling beside them and reaching for Noctis. 

His hand collided with Prompto's and he paused, squeezing Prompto's hand. He let out a sigh when he found Noctis' pulse and, after a quick cursory check for any wounds, he turned towards Prompto.

“Are you injured anywhere?” 

“No,” Prompto said hazily. He paused and then shook his head, forgetting that they couldn't see him. 

Gladiolus had come up behind Ignis and was standing over them as he checked Noctis. The apparent lack of an injury on Noctis and Prompto's quiet 'no' seemed to have soothed his concern and he suddenly looked angry. 

Prompto though only had a moment to assess his face because just as quickly, Gladiolus was looking at the runabout and preparing to stomp his way to it. Prompto reached out a hand and grabbed the side of his trousers.

“There are two more,” he said when Gladiolus looked down. “The two in the boat are unconscious but the other two are still awake. I left them tied up. One's around the corner of the wall in the bushes and the other's near the rocks behind the bridge support thing.” 

“Alright.” Gladiolus nodded and went towards the corner of the retaining wall. If he was surprised that Prompto managed to take out four assailants on his own, he didn't show it. 

“Tell me what happened,” Ignis said. “You were not very forthcoming on the phone.” 

Prompto knew he hadn't been. He'd been too dazed and still riding on that strange instinct driven state that had helped him take down four Nif kidnappers in only a few minutes. So he sighed and then told Ignis everything from the moment he had left them in the car until now.

Gladiolus returned, halfway through his story, frog-marching Dirty-Blond toward the runabout and making him sit on the edge of the small dock. He went towards the other side, were Prompto had left Pony-Tail, after making it clear to the man that Ignis was keeping an eye on him, that Ignis had deadly aim and deadlier daggers, and that Ignis would not hesitate to take him down if he moved. 

“You did very good,” Ignis said once Prompto was finished, raising a hand and somehow finding Prompto's arm. 

Prompto didn't reply, still trembling. 

Ignis smiled at him sympathetically.

Gladiolus came back with Pony-Tail and the man joined his companion on the tiny dock before he approached them. “Noct okay? He's still out.”

“Yes,” Ignis sighed and stood. “From what Prompto told me, I'm guessing they gave him a strong sedative. Probably for the best. No doubt Noctis would be in excruciating pain if they hadn't.” 

“What are you going to do with them?” Prompto asked. 

“The Hunters will deal with them, we already notified them and they should be here in a moment. Gladio, will you take Noctis and Prompto back to the car? I'll see to the rest.”

Gladiolus nodded and gathered Noctis up into his arms, Prompto following on weak legs. 

Prompto settled into the back seat of the Regalia and cradled Noctis to him – more for his comfort than for Noctis' – while Gladiolus locked the doors and took up a guard position outside the car, leaning against the side with his arms crossed.

The rain slowed to a drizzle.

It took nearly an hour before Ignis eventually returned but by then Prompto had already fallen asleep, worn out from the adrenaline and the subsequent crash.

“Are they alright?” Ignis asked, looking into the car windows. 

“I think so. Noct hasn't moved in a while so I think Blondie fell asleep. What did you find out?” 

“That we are going to have to be extra careful from now on when entering towns and outposts.” Ignis set the three or four carrier bags he had with him on the bonnet of the Regalia and pulled out a food container to hand to Gladiolus but he shook his head and Ignis set it back on the others, folding the plastic over it to keep it dry. “They were Niflheim soldiers, disguised to look like tourists. Found their uniforms when the Hunters and I searched their room.”

“They say what they were doing here?” 

“Yes, though I think it's fairly obvious.” Ignis rested his arms on the top of the Regalia, ducking his head to look in at Noctis and the empty space underneath him that was Prompto and sighing. 

“Due to repeated failure to capture the 'recreant and disgraced Prince of Lucis',” Ignis' mouth twisted into something like anger as he said it and Gladiolus practically snarled, “with MTs and drop ships, Niflheim has started to utilise itssmall human military force to set traps. We sprang one just now.” 

He paused before adding: “They'd believed that Noctis was alone and undefended.” 

Neither said anything for a few breaths before Gladiolus' tense shoulders slumped. “Thank the gods Prompto is invisible and they missed him. If he had truly been alone...”

Ignis shivered and closed his eyes, forehead resting against the Regalia's window. Another intense moment of silence passed between them before Ignis finally pushed away from the Regalia. 

“In any case, Cor knows. I called him. He said that it'll be best to retreat to Caem until he and the remnants of the Crownsguard can root out all the groups like this one. So the original plan stays. We continue to Ravatogh to deal with Prompto's situation and then to Caem.” 

Gladiolus nodded and pushed himself away from the car, looking back in at Noctis and Prompto's patch of empty air. “Two hours to Ravatogh and then...?”

“Four hours to Caem,” Ignis said ruefully. Gladiolus winced but unlocked the doors and moved around the Regalia to settle into the front passenger seat. 

“Let's get to it then.”

“Indeed.” 

0-o-0-o-0

Prompto woke to a warm breeze and Noctis' warmer breath puffing against his neck gently. 

The roof on the Regalia was down, the clouds had broken up revealing a pale blue sky, and there was the faint, stinging scent of sulphur hanging in the air.

He blinked and then struggled out from under Noctis' dead weight in surprise, careful to not hurt the sleeping Prince with his wild movement. 

“Hey, I'm guessing Prompto's awake,” Gladiolus said, his head turned to look back. Ignis glanced up at rear view mirror but soon refocused his attention on the road. “Are you awake, Blondie?”

The Ravatogh Lava Fields gleamed in the afternoon sunlight on either side of the road. 

“Wha...? Where...?” 

“We're approximately twenty minutes from the Ravatogh visitor centre and the market,” Ignis said. Prompto stared at him wide-eyed but Ignis only took a sip from his can of Ebony, unbothered. 

Oh, right. 

Invisible. 

“How long was I out?” 

“Since before we left Old Lestallum,” Gladiolus said, sliding his bookmark between the pages of his novel and setting it on his lap. He reached up in a stretch, cracking his finger joints as he did so. “You fell asleep before Iggy got back from dealing with the Hunters and the Nifs.”

Prompto frowned. “Oh.” And then: “I...don't remember falling asleep.”

“You crashed from the adrenaline. We thought it best to let you sleep and since we had to let Noctis sleep off the drug any ways...” Ignis shrugged. 

“The Nifs?”

“In Hunter custody.” Ignis looked back at the rear view mirror and smiled. “Cor was very proud when I told him what happened. He didn't say it but his voice became a little softer when he spoke about you. You did very good.” 

Prompto flushed, glad that he was invisible. He was startled, though, when Noctis groaned in his arms and stirred for the first time. It caught the other two's attention as well and Ignis even pulled over onto the shoulder, placing the Regalia in park so he could twist in his seat to look back at them. 

“Noct?” Prompto cooed softly. “Hey, Noct, you awake?” 

“'ead 'urts.” Noctis' voice was thick and muffled due to his apparent unwillingness to pull his face from Prompto's chest which looked weird to be honest. “Tongue 'eels 'unny.” 

“It's from the sedative no doubt.” Ignis reached back to wiggle his fingers between Prompto and Noctis to feel his forehead. 

“Seda'ive?” Noctis sighed heavily.

“Don't worry about it,” Gladiolus chuckled. “How are you feeling besides your head hurting?”

“Arms noo'les,” Noctis slurred and tried to move his arm. He only managed to wiggle it before he sighed again and relaxed into Prompto, his brow creasing when he tilted his head towards them. “Back 'urts li'le bit...I think.”

“Not to worry,” Ignis said, petting his hair. “The muscle weakness will wear off quickly and you need water. As for your back, I have some painkillers but I want the sedative to finish wearing off before I give it to you. Think you can manage?” 

“Uhh...” was Noctis' reply. Prompto laughed lightly, rubbing Noctis' shoulders before reaching down into the compartment at the back of the centre console and freeing a bottle of water from the stash of drinks there. 

“Don't let him drink too fast,” Gladiolus warned as Ignis turned back around and put the car back into drive. “We don't want him to throw up.” 

Prompto gave him a thumbs up, before once again remembering that he was invisible. “Oh. Yeah, got it.” 

By the time they reached the visitor centre, Noctis was more awake and able to support his own weight again. The water had helped to rouse him a little more and had washed the cottony feeling out of his mouth. 

The air was humid now on account of the many hot spring pools that the buildings were clustered around. There were a couple of people at the tiny food stalls and a few were standing near one of the smaller hot springs, watching the geyser across the way as it shot hot water and steam into the sky, talking and laughing. 

Gladiolus sat in the car with them as Ignis disappeared into the centre, coming back out some minutes later.

“The hot spring is open and available for use,” he said. “I simply said 'Gigantoad' and the young woman at the counter was immediately contrite and pointing the spring out to me.” 

“Oh thank god,” Prompto said, thoroughly done with all of this invisibility nonsense.

Ignis smiled. “I was thinking it over as we were driving here and, while we can definitely reach Caem tonight if we leave within an hour, I think it would be best to stay the night in a caravan and travel to Caem in the morning.” 

“Wouldn't it be safer to reach Caem tonight though?” Noctis asked. He'd been filled in on everything that had happened while he slept and he was understandably concerned for another attempt here at Ravatogh.

“Perhaps,” Ignis admitted, “but I doubt Ravatogh is somewhere that Niflheim would have considered as a possible location to find you. There is nothing here, after all, that would attract your attention. Besides, we are alerted now.”

Noctis still didn't look entirely convinced but he trusted them and so he nodded any ways.

“In any case,” Ignis continued, “I feel that a good long soak in the waters of the hot springs will be as beneficial for you, Your Highness, as it will be for Prompto and we all need a good night's sleep. It's been a long day.” 

It had been a long day and none of them felt like arguing that point. It was agreed that they would stay the night and leave early the next morning for Caem for a few days.

They parked the Regalia at the caravan, renting it for the night, before heading to the hot springs. Prompto was first in and he was completely and utterly delighted to find that more and more of him was appearing as he rubbed at his skin. He ducked beneath the water and scrubbed at his hair.

Noctis watched, amused, as he settled in the water calmly. The heat and minerals in the water immediately began to relieve the persistent ache in his back and his hip. He stretched out his leg under the water and sighed, leaning his head back. 

“Feels good,” he said. Gladiolus snorted, settled in one of their camping chairs at the edge of the hot spring, soaking his feet with his novel in his hands. He kicked gently at Noctis' shoulder.

“Don't fall asleep, princess. Don't want you drowning.” Noctis made a rude gesture up at him.

Ignis had taken on the task of scrubbing at Prompto's invisible clothing in the water and spreading the outfit over their standing drying rack even though Prompto had assured him that he could do it himself. 

“Prompto would have to save you again,” he said, his voice gently teasing, “and then he'd truly be the hero of the day.”

Prompto beamed at them as he resurfaced, fully visible, and it was a relief to actually see him and his bright smile.

“Well, hero,” Noctis started, a teasing grin on his face, “I say you get to choose supper tonight.” 

“Really? I get to choose?” Prompto asked, splashing over to them and sitting with Noctis. And then, with some suspicion at Noctis' smile: “Why?”

“Well, if you'd prefer a medal I can get you one but you'll have to wait. I'm a little medal-less at the moment.” 

Prompto crinkled his nose, confused. “Medal? Why would I want a medal?”

“You saved the King, Prompto, you get a prize,” Noctis said liltingly. Prompto blushed, suddenly understanding. 

“I'm sure we can find something in the royal vault he might like,” Gladiolus added, highly amused. “Or maybe he could have the old-fashioned prize for saving royalty.”

“Noctis' hand is already given,” Ignis said, wringing out Prompto's vest and hanging it up with his jeans, “and there is no one else in the royal family he could choose.” 

“Guys, please,” Prompto pleaded, red as a cherry. 

“He could have my first born child,” Noctis said. 

“What on Eos would he do with it?” Gladiolus asked, grinning widely now at Prompto's embarrassment and abandoning his book for the more fun option of teasing Prompto.

“I always did like the idea of a Lost Heir situation,” Noctis chuckled. 

“You do realize most of those stories never ended well for the King right?” Gladiolus pointed out. Noctis shrugged and turned back to Prompto. 

“So what do you say? What boon can We give to Mine saviour?” Noctis was struggling to keep a straight face but he was just managing it. Gladiolus wasn't trying, giving into his laughter at Prompto's expression.

“Wow, did you really just use the royal 'we' on me? And 'mine saviour', Noct, really?” Prompto asked. Noctis laughed then unable to hold his straight face.

“No, no,” Ignis said, genially. “I say that Prompto deserves a Lordship for saving His Royal Majesty. We can christen him as Lord Chocobo.” 

“You too, Ignis!?”

As Noctis and Gladious' laughter only redoubled upon this and even Ignis gave in, Prompto could only let himself sink slowly beneath the hot springs' waters to hide his red face and ears and neck. He bemoaned the lost opportunity to prank them all epically for this.

Maybe being invisible hadn't been such a bad thing after all.

_Finis_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I have a few more status ailment fics that I'm currently writing:
> 
> Float  
> Blind  
> Mini  
> Berserk/Aggression  
> Silence  
> Frog/Toad
> 
> If there are any others that you want to see, feel free to suggest them in comments. I'm always looking for more. :)
> 
> And here is the teaser for my next story "The Shield of the King":
> 
> _“We need to find Gladio,” he said, turning his torch this way and that to scan the cavern. Ignis opened his mouth to say something but Noctis had suddenly froze, focusing on something lit by his torch and was running towards it before either Prompto or Ignis could say anything._
> 
> _“Gladio!” Noctis cried._
> 
> _Ignis sucked in a sharp breath and Prompto gasped as Noctis' light fell on Gladiolus' body._
> 
> _Gladiolus was mostly buried and partially upside down. Only his head, one shoulder and his arm was uncovered and there was blood dripping from the ends of his fingers. Not a lot but enough to be worrying._
> 
> _It was impossible to tell if he was breathing or not._
> 
>  
> 
> Stay tuned! >:)


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